Timor Leste players celebrate a goal
Myanmar U23 entered the tournament with a clear advantage: more experience, superior physique and better quality players. Right from the start of the match, they put pressure on their opponents and opened the score in the 3rd minute when Shine Wanna Aung's shot hit the foot of a Farrugia defender and changed direction into the net.
In the 36th minute, Myanmar continued to double the gap. The Timor Leste goalkeeper committed a foul in the penalty area, giving Zaw Win Thein an opportunity to easily increase the score to 2-0 from the penalty spot.
Leading by two goals, Myanmar started to be complacent. And with only seconds left in the first half, a mistake in a throw-in situation made them pay the price.
The ball was stolen by striker Canavaro right at the edge of the penalty area. He handled it neatly to shorten the score to 1-2 for Timor Leste, a goal that revived hope that seemed to have died.
The second half took place in heavy rain, but it did not reduce the drama. In the 53rd minute, from an attack on the left wing, Figo jumped high and headed the ball dangerously, equalizing 2-2 for Timor Leste, a result that few people expected.
But it didn’t take long for Myanmar to regain the lead. Within less than 10 minutes of the equalizer, they scored two goals in the 55th and 62nd minutes thanks to Than Toe Aung and Min Maw Oo, raising the score to 4-2. It seemed like everything was over.
But the magic started in the 75th minute. Vabio Canavaro took a beautiful long-range shot that sent the ball flying past the goalkeeper, narrowing the score to 3-4.
Myanmar tried to push up their formation to "finish off" their opponents in the final minutes, but that opened up counter-attack opportunities for Timor Leste.
In the 90+2 minute, after a relief situation by the goalkeeper, the red team counterattacked quickly and Alexandro Bakhito scored close to the goal, equalizing 4-4 to the amazement of the audience and Myanmar players.
The draw, which was like a win, helped Timor Leste gain a historic score in the regional arena, especially when they came from the third seed group and were predicted to be the "points warehouse" of group C. This result not only made the group situation unpredictable but also added motivation to other weaker teams in the tournament.
In the same day match in Group B, U23 Cambodia also let U23 Laos draw 1-1, showing the surprising balance in the groups. With only one round of group stage, the opportunity to enter the semi-finals is still open for both Myanmar and Timor Leste, especially when Thailand - the remaining team in Group C - will play on July 19.
The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship takes place from July 15 to 29 in Indonesia, bringing together 10 teams divided into 3 groups. The teams compete in a round robin to calculate points. The 3 group winners and 1 second-placed team with the best record will advance to the semi-finals. Watch the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ live and in full onFPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/giai-u23-dong-nam-a-2025-timor-leste-cam-hoa-myanmar-sau-man-ruot-duoi-8-ban-153030.html
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